August's Garden (2025)

 

It has been a month of change. The rain stopped and the temperature soared, of course. This area is now in an abnormally dry drought. The garden is stressed and struggling, (just like us), but we continue to plant the empty areas, hand water, harvest, and prepare for fall. 

The purple hull peas have finished. They put out a huge crop at first and then the production slowed. Some people rip them out and plant again but I have never wanted to do the extra work. We have always continued to harvest until they finished. Perhaps next year I will have an abundance of energy and try planting them twice to see the difference it makes - but that's a big maybe. 

The cucumber plants look horrible but they are still producing two or three cucumbers every day. All we need is enough for us to eat fresh because the pickling and dehydrating is finished. Hopefully, they will hold out until the fall seedlings begin producing.

North Carolina Pickling cucumbers are small, white and stay crisp when pickled. The tiny ones are pickled whole for one son and then those that get larger are used to make all the other pickles. The small dehydrated bits are added to tzatziki sauce as a thickener.

Underneath the soon to be finished cucumber vines are Volunteer Half Runner pole green beans. They were recommended by a commenter since my pole beans never produced anything but leaves. If we have a late fall, they might make it. 

Speaking of green beans, one rabbit in a single night's time wiped out almost all of the bean seedlings which filled the whole back area of the garden.  He squeezed in under the new gate but has since paid dearly for his deadly mistake.  

These are Strike Green Beans which were quickly ordered and planted in every empty spot. They are supposed to mature within 45 days. There is no way they can produce enough before winter so yesterday we took a trip to the Amish auction. I was horrified at the outrageous prices!  A shoe box of green beans sold for $41!!! I did not buy any.

An unbelievable surprise has been the Giant Bullet Head Wax melon. They are growing massive. The "giant" in their name is the truth.

We lost one because the stem broke so we set them on flower pots to support their hefty weight. One of the pots caved in and broke another melon. Each one is like lifting three watermelons. 

Hopefully, we can get at least one to harvest so we can taste it. When we open it, there will be a big wintertime celebration and we might invite the whole town for a feast.

As for the rest of the garden, the cherry tomatoes in part shade are surviving. Their production isn't as good as full sun but it is still enough for us. That experiment worked. 

Planted in the furthest back corner under the cherry tomatoes is the long vined Tahitian Butternut squash. It was put there because I knew it would run to the sun and fill the empty space under the cherry tomatoes. Even though they are in deep shade, everything is producing well enough to go there again. It is a good use of a difficult area.

The winter squash that are in full sun are ecstatic.

The heat loving Lima beans, peppers and peanuts have not minded being scorched at all.

Rain is forecast in a few days and the temperature is dropping.  Fall is coming. It looks like even in spite of the uncooperative weather and pillaging rabbits, we are having a great harvest.

Last Month's July Garden (2025)

Last Year's August Garden (2024)

July's Garden (2025)

It is incredible how quickly a garden can produce a large volume during the summer. When the rain is abundant, the vegetables are bounteous. We had a wet spring and it has been amazing.

THESE ARE THEGETABLES THAT ARE GROWING NOW

Eggplant

Cantaloupes (2 varieties)

Celery (2 varieties)

Cucumbers

Green Beans (7 varieties)

Lettuce (2 varieties are bolting and providing seeds)

Lima Beans

Okra

Peanuts

Peppers (3 varieties)

Purple Hull Peas

Squash (4 varieties)

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes (9 varieties)

Walking Onions

Watermelon

Wax melon

HERBS

Basil

Chamomile

Chives

Cilantro

Dill

Ginger

Oregano

Parsley

Strawberries (dormant)

Stevia

The last row of potatoes was just dug and in total there was almost 90 pounds. The empty rows were planted with fall crops. The yellow squash that replaced the broccoli under the cover is about to bloom so it is almost time to remove the net. The wish was that it would keep squash vine borers away and hopefully, some fruit could be produced before being infested.

However, just like last year, the June Bugs arrived and tore through the netting! If there is one squash vine borer within a hundred miles, I'm sure he found the hole. Heavier types of nets have been purchased and will be tested and then when something better is found, I will throw this junk away.

It has taken three years of failures but for the first time, I have wax melons!  It can take up to a month for the seeds to germinate so this time I put them in a cup on the front porch in the full sun. Two sprouted and each one is planted at opposite ends of this fence. Tomatoes are trailing up and the wax melons are aggressively spreading below. 

As they spread out into the aisle, they are directed (kicked) back underneath the tomatoes.

However, one vine got away from me and smothered  a tomato plant on this upper end. It was allowed to overtake this edge of the fence as an experiment since I don't know if it is best for it to hang or be on the ground. 

The melons are massive. One has already broken off during a storm so the other one that is hanging on the support fence has received extra support. I have never seen nor eaten one so this is exciting. They are supposed to be mildly sweet without much flavor and are used as a base in soups and dishes. Because of their thick skins, they can store deep into the winter and were a survival food long before refrigeration.

After snipping away leaves, two more were discovered safely resting on the ground. One was tied to the fence to keep it from rolling out into the aisle. Supposedly it is ripe when the stem is dry.

This magnificent looking row of green beans has been quite disappointing. McCaslan green beans are sold to the big farms around here and are quite popular. For three years, I grew them in different shady areas of the garden and assumed the poor performance was due to a lack of sunshine. They are now planted in full sun, tomorrow is the first day of August and we haven't gotten two handfuls of beans from the whole row! At least there are a few blooms beginning to appear but this is their last chance.

The deeply shaded back corner behind the cherry tomatoes was an area being saved for early winter vegetables but instead, it has just been planted with different varieties of bush beans. They are needed desperately. Summer is half over and not one jar has been canned for the winter. Hopefully, they will sprout and do something.  

It has been a good year and there are no complaints so far. All it takes is a little rain to make me happy...and maybe a big piece of watermelon. 

Last Month's June Garden (2025)

Last Year's July Garden (2024)

June's Garden (2025)

The garden is in full production and this is the time when my new ideas and experiments can be judged to be a success or failure.

The best idea ever has been to put up a fence. It is AWESOME! Even without gates, the animal damage has been zero. We put it off for years because we feared it would be a difficult, time consuming and expensive project. We were right. It was even harder than we imagined due to supply chain problems but it has made a world of difference.

We weren't sure about the final location of each fence section because of unknown underground boulders. The tomatoes could not wait so were planted anyway.  They ended up being feet away from the fence. 

The distance apart in the back corner is even greater so stakes are supporting them just so they can reach the fence. This winter when the garden is empty, the rows will be realigned. It looks a bit wonky.

One great idea happened on a whim. At the grocery store last fall I picked up four shallots and planted them in this row beside winter onions. At first they all looked the same and I forgot about the test. At some point, the shallots began dividing and it became evident they were different. 

They continued to grow after the other onions were harvested and the Purple Hull Peas had been planted. They spread apart, became huge and were crowded. One day they no longer stood up but fell over.  After a week of rain, they were pulled to avoid loss.

This is only one plant.

This is the harvest from only four shallots. How well they will store is unknown especially since they were damp. This winter even more will be planted. 

Never again will broccoli be planted for summer. That was a bad idea. It was covered with the worthless netting that the June bugs ate through last year. 

As long as it isn't touched, moved or the wind blows, it is fine. Lifting the edge to harvest was tedious and it fell apart at the slightest pressure. It kept the white moths off until the wind lifted a small corner. Broccoli will only be grown in the winter garden from now on. 

Potato vines grow tall and spread wide covering the aisle. To make it safe to walk, I use stakes with a twine support. As the potato tubers swell below ground, some rise above the surface turning green in the sunlight. To keep them shaded, pulled weeds are stuffed inside between the vines as mulch. It saves a long trip to the compost pile.  It is akin to sweeping dirt under the carpet but it works fine until the vines begin to die. Then the disheveled mess becomes evident; regardless, I consider this a great idea.

Other plants are also staked and wrapped in twine to keep the garden walkable. It only takes a few minutes and it makes my life much easier. The Purple Hull Peas must be corralled or they will take over the whole garden. This row was staked early and it is how it should work.  A good idea.

Putting two pea rows side by side and letting them both get out of control was a bad idea. By the time I got around to setting up the stakes, the space between the rows was already covered. Harvesting them is going to be a problem.

Another bad idea was rushing while planting okra. The seedlings had just emerged but as they grew, it became obvious two were different. This unknown seedling is a cucumber.  A trellis was added for it at the end of the row. 

The second seedling was transplanted into another row. It is below the garage sale purchased tennis racket hanging on the fence.  It is available at a moment's notice to swat white moths. Bill is keeping a running total and he has killed 40 already this season. An abundance of tools hanging everywhere saves many steps. It is a good idea. Leaving the shed door open allowing a mother bird to build a nest inside was a bad idea. The door now remains open.

It appears the mystery seedling is a cantaloupe.

The fence is a work in progress and when we find the parts, we will have gates.  It really has been the best idea ever.

Last Month's May Garden (2025)

Last Year's June Garden (2024)